Make Me Smile

Last updated
"Make Me Smile"
Make Me Smile label.jpg
Single by Chicago
from the album Chicago
B-side "Colour My World"
ReleasedMarch 1970
RecordedAugust 1969
Genre
Length2:58 (Original single edit)
4:43 (Album version)
4:25 ( Only the Beginning edit)
Label Columbia
Songwriter(s) James Pankow
Producer(s) James William Guercio
Chicago singles chronology
"Beginnings"
(1969)		"Make Me Smile"
(1970)		"25 or 6 to 4"
(1970)

"Make Me Smile" is a song written by James Pankow for the rock band Chicago with the band's guitarist, Terry Kath, on lead vocals. [2] Part 1 of Pankow's 7-part "Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon" song cycle/suite, it was recorded for their second album, Chicago (often called Chicago II), which was released in 1970. The song "Now More Than Ever", a separate track from the same song suite, serves as a reprise of the song and appears edited together with it on many later versions, including a single edit, on several greatest hits collections, and in many live performances.

Contents

Background

A radio-friendly edit of "Make Me Smile" was released as a single in March 1970, becoming the band's first Top 10 record, peaking at number nine on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. [3] Pulled from the first movement of the "Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon" suite, several changes were made in order to make the song more suitable for radio. [4] This included a modified introduction and abbreviated guitar solo. Finally, parts of the track "Now More Than Ever" were appended on the end to make a complete, 3-verse song.

Reviewing the single, Cash Box said that "just a grand song to glide along with, the new Chicago offering comes up with even more audience-shattering magnetism than their two earlier singles" and noted the "brisk motion and a fine instrumental styling." [5] Billboard called it a "solid beat rocker" that's "a mover from start to finish, loaded with discotheque appeal. ." [6] Record World said that the song was "very happening." [7]

When Chicago released their compilation album The Very Best of Chicago: Only the Beginning in 2002, they featured a new edit of the song, with the "Make Me Smile" and "Now More Than Ever" parts segued together again, but without the numerous cuts—the full intro and the guitar solo of the former part, and the full outro of the latter part, were thus included.

"Make Me Smile" was the group's breakthrough hit, [8] in that its success triggered renewed interest in the group's two prior releases from 1969 which had previously failed to reach the U.S. Top 40. "Questions 67 and 68" had reached #71 that year, but on re-release in 1971 reached #24. And "Beginnings" had failed to chart in 1969, but on re-release in 1971 reached number seven on the Pop chart and #1 on the Easy Listening chart.

Since the death of Terry Kath in 1978, the vocals for live performances of "Make Me Smile" were handled by Bill Champlin, who joined the band for the recording of Chicago 16 , until he departed the group in August 2009. In shows without Champlin, Robert Lamm sang the lead vocal. Champlin's replacement Lou Pardini took over the singing of "Make Me Smile" until his departure in 2022, when keyboardist Loren Gold sang the song since 2022 alongside his substitute Rob Arthur.

Chart performance

Personnel

"Make Me Smile" was made available for download on October 23, 2012 for Rock Band 3 Basic and PRO mode for use with real guitar/bass guitar, and MIDI-compatible electronic drum kits/keyboards, but as its new edit from The Very Best of Chicago: Only the Beginning .

Related Research Articles

"Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon" (sic), also known as "The Ballet" and "Make Me Smile Medley", is a nearly thirteen-minute mini-rock opera/song cycle/suite from Chicago's 1970 album Chicago. It was the group's first attempt at a long-format multi-part work.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terry Kath</span> American guitarist and singer (1946–1978)

Terry Alan Kath was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter who is best known as a founding member of the rock band Chicago. He played lead guitar and sang lead vocals on many of the band's early hit singles alongside Robert Lamm and Peter Cetera. He has been praised by his bandmates and other musicians for his guitar skills and his Ray Charles–influenced vocal style. Jimi Hendrix famously cited Terry Kath as one of his favorite guitarists, and considered Kath to be "the best guitarist in the universe".

<i>Chicago</i> (album) 1970 studio album by Chicago

Chicago is the second studio album by the American rock band Chicago. Like their debut album, Chicago Transit Authority, this was a double album. It was their first album under the name Chicago and the first to use the now ubiquitous cursive Chicago logo on the cover.

<i>Chicago III</i> 1971 studio album by Chicago

Chicago III is the third studio album by the American rock band Chicago. It was released on January 11, 1971, through Columbia Records. The album was produced by James William Guercio and was the band's third consecutive double album in less than two years.

<i>Chicago V</i> 1972 studio album by Chicago

Chicago V is the fourth studio album by the American rock band Chicago. It was released on July 10, 1972 by Columbia Records. It is notable for being the group's first single album release, after having released three consecutive double albums and a four-disc box set of live material.

<i>Chicago VII</i> 1974 studio album by Chicago

Chicago VII is the sixth studio album by American rock band Chicago. It was released on March 11, 1974 by Columbia Records. It is notable for being their first double album of new material since 1971's Chicago III and remains their final studio release in that format. It features session percussionist Laudir de Oliveira, who would become a full-fledged band member for the release of Chicago VIII the following year.

<i>Chicago IX: Chicagos Greatest Hits</i> 1975 compilation album by Chicago

Chicago IX: Chicago's Greatest Hits is the first greatest hits album, and ninth album overall, by the American band Chicago and was released in 1975 by Columbia Records in both stereo and SQ quadraphonic versions.

<i>Chicago XI</i> 1977 studio album by Chicago

Chicago XI is the ninth studio album by the American rock band Chicago. It was released on September 12, 1977 through Columbia Records. It was both the last to feature guitarist and vocalist Terry Kath prior to his death in a gun accident just over four months later, and the last to be produced by longtime associate of the band James William Guercio.

<i>Greatest Hits, Volume II</i> (Chicago album) 1981 compilation album by Chicago

Greatest Hits, Volume II is the second greatest hits album by American rock band Chicago, released on November 23, 1981 by Columbia Records.

<i>Chicago XXVI: Live in Concert</i> 1999 live album by Chicago

Chicago XXVI: Live in Concert is a live album by the American band Chicago, their twenty-sixth album overall, released in 1999. Their second live album to be released in the US, it was Chicago's first of the sort since 1971's Chicago at Carnegie Hall and 1972's Live in Japan, though the band had released commercial VHS tapes of two concerts in the early 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Questions 67 and 68</span> 1969 single by Chicago

"Questions 67 and 68" is a 1969 song written by Robert Lamm for the rock band Chicago and recorded for their debut album Chicago Transit Authority. It was their first single release. Peter Cetera is the primary lead singer with Lamm also on vocals. In 2015, Dave Swanson, writing for Ultimate Classic Rock, listed the song as ninth in a list of top ten Chicago songs. Writing for Rock Cellar magazine, Frank Mastropolo rated the song as number 11 in a list of "Top 11 Question Songs".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?</span> 1970 single by Chicago

"Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?" is a song written and sung by Robert Lamm and recorded by the group Chicago. It was included on their 1969 debut album Chicago Transit Authority and released as a single in 1970.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Free (Chicago song)</span> 1971 single by Chicago

"Free" is a song written by Robert Lamm as a part of the "Travel Suite" for the rock band Chicago and recorded for their third album Chicago III (1971), with Terry Kath singing lead vocals. It was the first single released from this album, and peaked at #20 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dialogue (Part I & II)</span> 1972 single by Chicago

"Dialogue" is a song written by Robert Lamm for the group Chicago and recorded for their album Chicago V (1972). On the album the song is over 7 minutes long and is divided in two parts. An edited version was released as a single in October 1972, eventually reaching #24 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. A live recording of the full song can be heard in Chicago XXXIV: Live in '75. Part II was included in Greatest Hits, Volume II (1982).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Just You 'n' Me</span> 1973 single by Chicago

"Just You 'n' Me" is a song written by James Pankow for the group Chicago and recorded for their fifth studio album Chicago VI (1973). The lead vocals are sung by bassist Peter Cetera.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harry Truman (song)</span> 1975 single by Chicago

"Harry Truman" is a song written by Robert Lamm for the group Chicago and recorded for their album Chicago VIII (1975), with lead vocals by Lamm. The first single released from that album, it reached number 13 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. It also reached number 23 on the Adult Contemporary chart. In Canada, the song peaked at number 16.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old Days</span> 1975 single by Chicago

"Old Days" is a song written by James Pankow for the group Chicago and recorded for their album Chicago VIII (1975). It was the second single released from that album with lead vocals by Peter Cetera.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Another Rainy Day in New York City</span> 1976 single by Chicago

"Another Rainy Day in New York City" is a song written by Robert Lamm for the group Chicago and recorded for their album Chicago X (1976). Described as "the only typical Chicago cut on the album[:] upbeat and light with good blending of lead vocal by [Peter] Cetera", the track would be the album's lead single but was largely passed over for radio airplay in favor of the album cut "If You Leave Me Now". Rush-released as a single, "If You Leave Me Now" debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 of 14 August 1976 at No. 60 - on its way to No. 1 - and immediately eclipsed "Another Rainy Day..." which on the same chart fell to No. 46 from its No. 32 peak. "Another Rainy Day..." peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. Billboard described the song as "a pop /jazzy rocker with a touch of reggae flavor." Cash Box said that "the lyric is good, really creates a mood." Record World called it a "Caribbean-styled number is handled with the band's consummate professionalism and good taste."

<i>Live in Japan</i> (Chicago album) 1972 live album by Chicago

Live in Japan is a live album by American rock band Chicago, released in November 1972. It was recorded over the course of three days at the Osaka Festival Hall on the band's tour in support of Chicago V in 1972. The group recorded Japanese-language versions of "Lowdown" and "Questions 67 And 68" to coincide with their Japan performances. They performed both songs in Japanese during their stay, which are documented on this album.

"Colour My World" is a song written by American musician James Pankow, one of the founding members of the rock/jazz fusion band Chicago. Part of Pankow's "Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon" song cycle/suite, it was recorded for their second album Chicago, also called Chicago II (1970). Terry Kath sings the lead vocal, and Walter Parazaider performs the memorable flute solo.

References

  1. ↑ Sheffield, Rob (2004). "Chicago". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 161–162. ISBN   0-7432-0169-8.
  2. ↑ "Chicago, "Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon" from Chicago II (1970): Saturdays in the Park". Something Else!. 2016-07-16. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
  3. ↑ "Chicago Awards". Allmusic . Retrieved 2012-08-17.
  4. ↑ Everett, Walter (May 2010). "'If you're gonna have a hit': intratextual mixes and edits of pop recordings". Popular Music. 29 (2): 244. doi:10.1017/S026114301000005X. JSTOR   40926920.
  5. ↑ "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. March 21, 1970. p. 30. Retrieved 2023-04-29.
  6. ↑ "Spotlight Singles" (PDF). Billboard. March 21, 1970. p. 76. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
  7. ↑ "Single Reviews" (PDF). Record World. March 21, 1970. p. 8. Retrieved 2023-04-28.
  8. ↑ Seraphine, Danny (2011). Street Player: My Chicago Story. John Wiley & Sons Inc. p. 120. ISBN   9780470416839.
  9. ↑ "Toutes les Chansons N° 1 des Années 70" (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
  10. ↑ "Top 100 Hits of 1970/Top 100 Songs of 1970". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 2016-10-03.
  11. ↑ "Top 100 Year End Charts: 1970". Cashbox Magazine . Retrieved 2016-07-07.
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